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I built my first PC a couple of years ago and my enthusiasm for making PCs has grown.
I'm a university student who wants to get into the case modding hobby.
I have no sponsors as I am new to the scene.
Current status: PROJECT COMPLETED! Page 5 has final pics.
I am going to start with a very ambitious project of fitting a HIGH-END gaming PC into not much larger than a popular gaming console with no thermal compromises. Intended for LANs or just as space-saving without losing on performance. Will fit most backpacks with ease along with peripherals and cables. The specs for the PC are as follows: PSU: Athena Power AP-MFATX50P8 500W 1U-FlexATX. Modified. MB: Gigabyte H87N-WiFi Rev2.0 CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.8GHz Cooler: Silverstone NT07-115X Fan: CoolerMaster XtraFlo Slim 120mm PWM RAM: Kingston ValueRAM Low-Profile 1600MHz 1x8GB DDR3 SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB GPU: EVGA GTX 970 SuperClocked ACX2.0 (overclocked to 1500MHz core, 7400Mhz effective memory) WiFi: Using internal antennas. Realtek RTL8191SE 1x2 300Mbps 802.11 b/g/n half mini PCI-E card. Upgradable to an 'ac' card if needed. LEDs: Custom RGB LED controller linked to PC through the motherboard's Serial Port Header. The specs of the case are currently as follows (will update when changes are made): >>>>>>>>>>>> Volume: 5.07 Litres <<<<<<<<<<<<<< Dimensions: 311x267x61mm (WxDxH) Material: Clear Acrylic (10mm sides. 6mm top/bottom/divider.) Front Panel: Power button, HD Audio jacks, 2 x USB3.0 Ports. (RGB LEDs will serve as power light. HDD light will be on the motherboard.) Max GPU length: 255mm (will take either EVGA ACX2.0, Zotac 900-series or any brand's Mini-ITX variant.) Max CPU Cooler Height: 25mm (or 40mm without the slim 120mm case fan) Drive Support: One 2.5" SSD or Hard Drive Reference Dimensions:
Game Consoles PS4: 305x274x53 4.45L (My case is just 14% larger than this) XBO: 343x263x80 7.22L (My case is 30% smaller than this) Silverstone Cases RVZ02: 350x350x80 9.80L SG06: 220x177x286 11.14L PS08: 355x168x400 23.86L Other details:
Power socket for the PSU will be re-wired to a rear IEC socket. Don't want to have the power socket on the side of the case.
Intel stock cooler does not fit (height). A Silverstone NT07-115X and a CoolerMaster XtraFlo Slim 120mm fan on the roof of the case blowing downwards (intake) will be used. This will provide fresh air to the undersized CPU cooler and cool the rest of the motherboard components.
Rear panel will be tailored for this specific motherboard (or its Z87 variant). I will not be using the I/O shield as it cannot fit.
Various lengths of M3 bolts will hold everything together. The divider will be held in place by slots built into the top and bottom pieces.
The GPU will connect to the motherboard via a PCI-E 16x 2U Riser Card.
The GPU will be held in place by the PCI-E Riser Card and a bracket on the rear of the case. As well as a rubber bumper near the end to keep it straight and reduce shock when transporting.
The RGB LED controller will be an Arduino microcontroller (pro mini variant) and a custom MOSFET circuit along with a RS232 to TTL level shifter. It will connect to the Serial Port header of this motherboard. This can be controlled via a serial terminal from the desktop or via an easily-coded GUI.
GPU PCI-E 6-pin power plugs will be partially in the wall of the case (they stick out a fair bit) as well as being cut down slightly to reduce their profile. A metal panel will be mounted over this hole. (Better explained visually.)
Thermal Design:
The CPU and GPU area is separated by a divider with only holes large enough for the PCI-E power cable and riser card. This will isolate heat from the GPU from entering the CPU area.
The EVGA ACX2.0 sucks in air through the bottom and side of the case. It expels the hot air mostly out the Rear and Front of the case. All these areas are well vented.
The CPU area is vented. The CoolerMaster XtraFlo 120mm fan will be blowing downwards and pushing out any small gaps and vents, as well as supplying fresh air directly to the small CPU cooler.
The Power Supply sucks air in through its own vent through the bottom of the case. All air is expelled out the side of the case from the 40mm speed-controlled fan.
Pictures speak better than words in this situation. Here are some SketchUp models of the design: Note: Some models from the SketchUp Warehouse were used to show where parts will go. It is for reference only. The GPU is a reference 780 that was scaled down to an EVGA ACX2.0 size. I was lucky to find my motherboard (the Z87 variant of it anyway which is physically the same) on the 3D Warehouse.
NOTE: These are not the final renders. These will not be posted. LATEST PICS ON PAGE 3 ONWARDS
Empty
Front
Rear
Motherboard side (with PSU exhaust)
Bottom
Top
Soda Can and DVD Case for size.
Threaded M3 inserts that will be glued into holes in the sides of the acrylic pieces.
Tiny Silverstone NT07-115X Cooler. Slightly louder than Intel Stock cooler. With EQUAL performance and almost half the height. I am touching the plastic backplate. I use anti-static gear
CoolerMaster XtraFlo Slim 120mm PWM fan. Extremely quiet and high airflow in a thin package helps make this build possible.
Current status: PROJECT COMPLETED! Page 5 has final pics.
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